Bill Daley struggles to fix Barack Obama's slump

“Bill Clinton fired many people in 1994 and took a lot of heat for it. Reagan fired most of his campaign staff in 1980. Republicans historically fired their own speaker, Newt Gingrich,” wrote James Carville in a widely read open letter to Obama on CNN’s website.

“For God’s sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It’s not working. Furthermore, it’s not going to work with the same team, the same strategy and the same excuses. I know economic analysts are smart — some work 17-hour days. It’s time to show them the exit. Wake up — show us you are doing something.”

Text Size

-

+

reset

When asked if he was referring specifically to Daley, Carville told POLITICO, “I recuse myself. Bill’s an old friend.”

The irony, of course, is that Daley is doing what his boss wants. He takes his role of gatekeeper seriously, and has restricted the torrent of paper and people into the Oval Office. The decision to downsize and deprioritize Obama’s legislative affairs team was made before Daley ever entered the building on a blueprint from interim chief of staff Pete Rouse.

Daley, who refused to comment for this story, is reportedly unrepentant about his tenure, telling associates he’s not bothered by any griping down the chain of command or from the Hill, which he considers as much a part of job as turning on the lights in the morning. A few months ago, he also predicted that the first wave of negative stories about him would start popping sometime after the “shitty” summer, according to an administration official.

“Sometimes people take out their frustrations on POTUS,” said a senior administration official. “Sometimes — hopefully — they take it out on the chief of staff instead. He’s always going to be the top target.”

David Plouffe, Obama’s senior adviser and 2008 campaign manager, said the president has “full confidence” in his chief of staff and blames the grousing on factors beyond Daley’s control: The economy, a barrage of foreign policy crises, a disorganized and hostile Republican House majority.

“I think he’s done a very good job. Obviously, we’re going through challenging times,” Plouffe told POLITICO. “It’s been a tough year … and it’s only natural there’s turbulence when the waters aren’t entirely placid. But he’s a very savvy guy, and he’s a very good guy, a solid guy.”

But Daley, an amiable schmoozer who had a dealmaker’s reputation during his years as Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary, has clearly had trouble maneuvering in a toxic, divided 2011 Washington that is even more dysfunctional than the divided Washington he left in 2000.

No incident illustrated Daley’s dilemma better than the kerfuffle over Obama’s jobs speech. Daley, according to sources in both camps, simply assumed that Boehner and company would grant the president’s request as a matter of course, and that organizers of the POLITICO/NBC News debate would simply move their event an hour back — and garner a larger lead-in audience for good measure.

When Daley called Boehner at around 10 a.m. on Aug. 31 to inform him of the president’s plans — not to ask for his permission — Boehner was polite but noncommittal and said he would get back in touch.

After a few hours of tense waiting, the speaker released a letter objecting to the timing, prompting a second call from Daley to Boehner, who said he was facing opposition to the address in his ranks and a possible floor vote on the speech, according to a congressional source.

Readers' Comments (334)

To some extent, Daley has been a victim of the increasingly difficult political circumstances Obama has had to confront this year. But he’s also been hampered, paradoxically, by his own inexperience, and particularly by the fact that he lacks the deep Capitol Hill connections of his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel

To some extent, Daley has been a victim of the increasingly difficult political circumstances Obama has had to confront this year. But he’s also been hampered, paradoxically, by his own inexperience, and particularly by the fact that he lacks the deep Capitol Hill connections of his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel

Daley has shown no daylight to an administration that might have the most anti-business prez since FDR and we know how that ended up, a prolonged depression. Obama has extended this recession and leaves us with the potential for a double dip. Wake up, McFly: Anti-business = anti-jobs

Sounds like another victim of the bus wheels coming soon. Progressives just don't get it. People are rejecting their idea of a great society. Obama could try to push it but it would go nowhere, even he and his staff is smart enough to see it. It's too bad that they are a fair weather party and when they had 60 votes in the Senate they loved Obama but now they lost the House, are about to loose the Senate, and could even see the WH going to the other party just 4 short years after the GOP was going to be lost in the wilderness for decades.

I'm just wondering how long it will be before the progressives split from the Dem party. I doubt there's a blue dog out there who would follow Nancy Pelosi anywhere. So why not form a new party, one that can take down the extreme right wing with ease?

The damage done to the Dem party by this administration will likely eliminate a Dem from being in the White House for another 16-20 years. NLRB, EPA, Dodd Frank, Obamacare, crony capitalism and corruption.

Someone in the administration needs to go to prison for the Solyndra scandal. Half a Billion of payoffs with taxpayer money for super donors/bundlers is a disgrace.

Seems like it ended up pretty good. By the time FDR died America was the pre-eminent financial and military power in the world! Our retirees were protected from abject poverty, the banksters were under control, we had massive new infrastucture in the form of roads and power generation. etc etc

No chief of staff, no organization, no philosophy or carefully-thought out approach is going to help this administration. At the center of it is an immature, inexperienced ,lightweight president, who can't figure out why everyone doesn't just see it his way. The Democrats brought this on themselves: this guy has no business running anything, let alone the US.

"Still, all isn’t lost. Reid and Daley would often bump into each other at the Ritz, where they both have an apartment, and chat amiably. Earlier this week, they chatted on the phone, a person close to Obama says."

In touch with the people, a couple of phonies fronting an even bigger one. That's why it's bye bye time... 492 days left in the Obama presidency.

Seems like it ended up pretty good. By the time FDR died America was the pre-eminent financial and military power in the world! Our retirees were protected from abject poverty, the banksters were under control, we had massive new infrastucture in the form of roads and power generation. etc etc